Black-capped Tanager, one of 12 species of Tangara possible at Cabañas San Isidro. Photo: Gary Rosenberg
The scenic Andes of eastern Ecuador are incredibly rich in birds, combining high páramo habitats that are home to Andean Condors and Rufous-bellied Seedsnipes with lush temperate and subtropical forests alive with spectacular tanagers and fancy hummingbirds. This short tour is designed to take advantage of a comfortable lodge nestled in the heart of the eastern Andes, just a few hours from Quito. We’ll have ample time to explore the surrounding areas as well as travel down into the adjacent foothills in search of eastern Ecuadorian specialties.
This tour can be taken in conjunction with our tour Ecuador: A Week in Paradise.
Day 1: The tour begins this evening in Quito. Night in Quito.
Day 2: We’ll leave early this morning for the high páramo habitats at the recently opened Antisana Ecological Reserve and at Papallacta Pass, about an hour’s drive from Quito. The scenery can be stunning, with often excellent views of the high volcanoes that surround Quito, including Cotopaxi and Antisana. The birding at the pass is equally thrilling, with good chances of Andean Condor and Rufous-bellied Seedsnipe. Other high-elevation specialties might include Silvery Grebe, Black-faced Ibis, Carunculated Caracara, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Giant Hummingbird, Andean Tit-Spinetail, Many-striped Canastero, Bar-winged and Stout-billed Cinclodes, Tawny Antpitta, Red-rumped Bush-Tyrant, Red-crested Cotinga, Giant Conebill, Black-backed Bush-Tanager, and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch. We’ll bird the high temperate forest east of the pass in search of mixed-species flocks of tanagers and work our way to Guango Lodge for the night. The birding at the lodge can be superb as well, but the main attraction is the array of hummingbird feeders, where such fabulous hummers as Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tourmaline Sunangel, Mountain Velvetbreast, and Buff-winged Starfrontlet are all possible. Night at Guango Lodge.
Day 3: We’ll bird the early morning around Guango Lodge hoping for a large mixed-species flock to pass through the grounds. Such flocks often hold Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Dusky Piha, Blue-winged and Lacrimose Mountain-Tanagers, Blue-and-black Tanager, and Pale-naped Brush-Finch among many others. If we haven’t yet seen Viridian Metaltail, Glowing Puffleg, Masked Mountain-Tanager, or Black-headed Hemispingus, we might return to the temperate forest above the town of Papallacta to search for them. Then we’ll continue our journey to San Isidro, only an hour and a half away, with stops to look for Torrent Duck and White-capped Dipper, both common along the river that parallels the highway. We’ll arrive at Cabañas San Isidro in time for dinner. Night at Cabañas San Isidro.
Days 4-7: We’ll have the better part of five days to explore the many interesting birding areas around San Isidro and the Guacamayo Ridge. We’ll walk on relatively level, little-traveled roads and occasionally on trails through the beautiful subtropical forest. San Isidro is simply wonderful for Andean birding, with mixed-species flocks of tanagers, including several in the genus Tangara such as Saffron-crowned, Black-capped, Beryl-spangled, Flame-faced, and Golden-naped. Other incredible tanagers might include the gaudy Grass-green, the gregarious White-capped, or the local Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia. Roadside birding right at the lodge is excellent for fancy birds such as both Golden-headed and Crested Quetzals, Wattled Guan, Pale-eyed and Glossy-black Thrushes, and the diminutive Rufous-crowned Tody-Flycatcher.
The trails at San Isidro provide access to the interior of the subtropical forest, where we’ll search for Andean Cocks-of-the-rock, which have a lek nearby, as well as specialties such as Black-chested Fruiteater, Long-tailed Antbird, Barred Antthrush, and possibly the little-known Peruvian Antpitta, a nest of which was discovered right on the property! Nearby trails on the Guacamayo Ridge are equally exciting, and we’ll look for Black-billed Mountain-Toucan, White-bellied Antpitta, Bicolored Antvireo, and the very local White-rimmed Brush-Finch among others.
Although San Isidro is located at about 6,000 feet, the highway continues down into other excellent birding locations in the eastern foothills. On at least one day we’ll drive downslope to below 3,000 feet near Archidona and the beginning of the Loreto Road, where we’ll encounter many foothill specialties, possibly including Napo Sabrewing, Wire-crested Thorntail, Coppery-chested Jacamar, Black-billed Treehunter, Lined Antshrike, Stripe-chested Antwren, Lemon-browed Flycatcher, Scarlet-breasted and Fiery-throated Fruiteaters, Olivaceous Greenlet, Chestnut-bellied Thrush, Wing-barred Wren, Orange-eared Tanager, and Deep-blue Flower-piercer, just to name a few. We’ll search the Loreto Road for a long-surviving pair of Orange-breasted Falcons, and likely get into the upper reaches of lowland Amazonia as well for a taste of birding that rich environment. Nights at Cabañas San Isidro.
Day 8: After a final morning of birding on the grounds of San Isidro, we’ll have lunch and then drive the few hours back to Quito. As we cross back over Papallacta Pass, we’ll stop and search again for any of the high-elevation species we may have missed, weather permitting. We’ll arrive back in Quito in the late afternoon with time for some last-minute shopping and a farewell dinner. Night in Quito.
Day 9: The trip concludes this morning in Quito.
Updated: 18 March 2008
Prices
- 2009 price not yet available
Notes
Single occupancy may not be available at Guango Lodge. Maximum group size eight with one leader; 14 with two leaders.